Holographic HMI is untouchable

A US company has launched a holographic HMI which allows operators to enter data or commands simply by passing their fingers through projected holographic images of "keys" floating in the air. The technology is expected to have many applications, including use in industrial environments where contaminants, dirt, moisture or shock could affect conventional interfaces.

The HoloTouch system, developed by a Connecticut-based company of the same name, has no movable or breakable parts. It is powered by - and delivers data to - a PC`s USB or other ports.

It projects images of the keys, about 2.5cm square, several centimetres in front of the hardware. An infrared scanner detects the presence of the operator`s fingers and identifies which number or symbol has been selected. It transmits the information to software running on the PC.

HoloTouch is licensing the technology to manufacturers, one of which, New-Jersey-based Atlantex, has produced an evaluation system which will allow OEMs to assess whether the technology is suitable for their products. Its USB-linked BeamOne demonstration system projects four holographic buttons about 10cm in front of it and includes software to sense when one of these buttons is "pressed".